Published: Sunday, December 29, 2013 at 5:00 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, December 27, 2013 at 6:24 p.m.

Murders, mayhem and miracles stole local headlines in 2013. Henderson County's worst homicide case in recent years shocked the community, and a man was found guilty of murder in a rare retrial in May.

The community mourned the loss of a teen who drowned in Lake Lure in June and cheered the continued recovery of a mother and infant whose survival of a head-on collision last December was called miraculous.

In September, a local rape case became the topic of a two-part "Dr. Phil" show, and two educators were convicted in a pornography case that shocked a seasoned judge.

In December, the district attorney chose not to press charges against a local grandmother after her grandson died of heat stroke in the back of her van.

And, in October, a failed golf course developer was convicted of fraud, officers cracked a lucrative meth ring, and the government went on a hiatus that threatened folks in need of social services and halted tourists.

Here are the year's Top 10 stories as ranked by Times-News staff members:

1. Suspect in triple homicide kills himself after manhunt.

A tragic triple homicide and suicide rocked Henderson County in May when a troubled Ralph "Robert" Warren III opened fire on his estranged wife and her parents outside of their Piney Ridge Drive home.

Warren's wife, 30-year-old Carrie Tracy Warren, and her parents, Theresa Russell Tracy, 49, and Richard Allen Tracy, 51, fell in a firestorm of bullets. Warren fled the scene as his 9-year-old daughter, who had witnessed the shooting, called 911.

Warren's daughter pleaded with 911 dispatchers for help, giving them a description of her father.

The violence set off a nearly three-hour manhunt. Police closed roads and asked neighbors, who nervously peered out of windows, to stay indoors. A passing motorist spotted Warren walking with his semi-automatic rifle in a field off of Howard Gap Road.

With daylight dwindling, officers scoured the area, eventually pulling out their big artillery — a veritable tank — to approach Warren entrenched in a muddy field. Warren was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

2. Rape case continues, gets national attention.

The case of four teens accused of raping a classmate at an alcohol-fueled party continues to grind slowly through the judicial system. More insight into what might have happened during that party last December was revealed in a two-part "Dr. Phil" show in September.

James "Matt" Bishop, 17, Joseph Vincent Curto, 18, Tyler Scott Garren, 17, and Justin Wesley Ponder, 18, who were all minors at the time of the party, were charged as adults with felony second-degree rape. The victim, who was 16 at the time, told investigators that three of the young men raped her while she was in and out of consciousness on a couch at Garren's home during a party on Dec. 8, 2012.

All four of the accused admitted to having sex with her, but they said it was consensual, according to search warrants.

Prosecutors with the office of State Attorney General Roy Cooper took over the case in August. The next administrative court date has not been set.

In an effort to stress her son's innocence, Dianne Bishop reached out to the "Dr. Phil" show. Matt Bishop, flanked by his parents, appeared in a two-part series that featured the case, Bishop's story and what the victim recalled of the night.

Bishop said that the girl initiated sex with him and then asked for more, so he recruited her next partner. The girl told "Dr. Phil" McGraw that she woke up to Bishop getting off of her, while the other guys stood around her in their underwear.

Seven Falls developer Keith Vinson was convicted in October of 13 fraud and conspiracy charges related to the failed golf course community near Etowah. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled. Vinson faces 24 to 26 years based on sentencing guidelines, said Lead Prosecutor Don Gast.

Vinson, who was out of jail awaiting trial, was taken into custody after a bond hearing determined that he could be a flight risk.

Vinson still faces sentencing on a slew of state charges, including terminating his employees' health insurance and obtaining property by false pretenses, in Henderson County Jan. 13.

This year, Henderson County received the proceeds of a performance bond on the Seven Falls property, and $366,000 from those funds have been used to stabilize the site after years of erosion and sediment runoff.

4. Tipton, Hamby sentenced; pornography case shocks judge.

In a case of child pornography that shocked a seasoned judge, two former educators were sentenced to prison after their affair led to the sexual exploitation of a minor entrusted to their care.

Chadwick Hamby, 42, former principal of a charter school in Hendersonville, was sentenced to four years and three months in prison for receiving child pornography. Deborah Lee Tipton, 45, of Burt, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for transmitting and possessing child pornography.

Hamby was given a "substantial reduction" in his sentence for assisting law enforcement and testifying against Tipton, a former special education teacher who sent him two sexually explicit videos of an 11-year-old girl after the couple's seven-year affair had started to fizzle.

5. "Miracles" continue for mother, baby injured in wreck.

Heather Stepp and her infant son, Ely, were seriously injured last December when a man accused of driving under the influence hit their vehicle head-on.

A nearby resident rushed to the scene of the accident and realized that baby Ely was not breathing. She tried CPR. It didn't work. She said she prayed over him and he started to breathe.

The road to recovery for mother and child has been full of peaks and valleys as they have faced repeated medical battles and issues with insurance. Ely has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

On Oct. 30, the man who hit them, Paul Jeffrey Satterfield, 58, was convicted of driving while intoxicated and reckless driving. He was ordered to serve three years of probation.

6. Grandmother of boy who died in hot car won't be charged.

District Attorney Greg Newman said he would not seek an indictment against a Pisgah Forest woman whose 4-year-old grandson was found dead after being left in the back of her van in May.

Shirley Strickland called 911 after she found her grandson, Lance Duncan, unresponsive on May 15. Under mounting financial pressures, police say Strickland, who was helping to raise her four grandchildren and had suffered medical problems related to stress, returned to work that day after taking her grandchildren to school.

Lance had fallen asleep in his seat and was found several hours later when Strickland prepared to pick up her grandchildren from school. Investigators determined his cause of death to be heat stroke.

An investigation by Transylvania County Sheriff David Mahoney revealed that Strickland left her Pisgah Forest home at about 7:15 a.m. to take her four grandchildren to school and day care. She dropped one child off at Rosman High and another child at Rosman Elementary. Lance had fallen asleep in the back of the van, according to Newman. Strickland usually dropped him off at a day care, but she was distracted and forgot, traveling on to work at Smith Systems at 8 a.m.

7. Tre Carter's body is recovered at Lake Summit.

Tre Carter, a North Henderson High football star who was loved by many, drowned while swimming with friends between the train trestle and a dam at Lake Summit in June.

His body was pulled from the lake June 19, ending a three-day recovery mission plagued with challenges. Divers came from all over to aid in the search of the deep, freezing, blackened water that was riddled with debris.

Carter's funeral was held in front of a packed house at Mud Creek Baptist Church.

On June 29, a crowd of more than 50 supporters gathered in prayer at Jackson Park and walked in his memory and in the memory of four other swimmers who have lost their lives to drownings in recent years.

8. Jermaine Glover found guilty in rare retrial.

A Henderson County jury returned to the courtroom in May with a one-word verdict in a rare retrial that would relieve one family and rock another. "Guilty."

Jermaine Deprie Glover, 40, of Hendersonville was found guilty of second-degree murder in the 2009 slaying of his former girlfriend and roommate, 21-year-old Misty Lynn Carter. The jury deliberated six hours before returning with a unanimous decision in Glover's second trial, after the first panel of jurors found themselves "hopelessly deadlocked" in March.

Glover is appealing his conviction.

9. Law enforcement cracks Henderson County meth ring.

Law enforcement officers arrested 29 individuals indicted this year as a result of a large-scale methamphetamine distribution and conspiracy investigation.

The investigations began in June 2012 and to date have resulted in the seizure of more than $42,000 in cash, four weapons, two automobiles, 32 grams of cocaine, 2,603.3 grams (5.74 pounds) of methamphetamine and 84 grams of marijuana. The drugs seized have a street value in excess of $265,000, authorities said.

The arrests, along with true bills of indictment issued by a Henderson County Grand Jury on Sept. 30, targeted several high-level distributors of methamphetamine in the Henderson County area.

The next court date for suspects is Feb. 24 in Henderson County Superior Court.

10. Federal government goes into sequester, followed by shutdown.

It was supposed to be such a bad idea that Congressional leaders would avoid it at all costs. The sequester, pundits said, would never happen — and then it happened.

With a new budget year approaching, House Republicans, including 11th District Rep. Mark Meadows, demanded a delay or defunding of "Obamacare" before they would agree to continue government funding past Sept. 30. A 16-day partial government shutdown followed, and the effects hit home.

The shutdown shuttered national parks, put a roadblock up on the Blue Ridge Parkway during leaf-watching season, threatened to put 551 local children out of day care centers, jeopardized DSS programs and halted WIC food vouchers for a young mother needing medically prescribed formula for her baby.

<p>Murders, mayhem and miracles stole local headlines in 2013. Henderson County's worst homicide case in recent years shocked the community, and a man was found guilty of murder in a rare retrial in May. </p><p>The community mourned the loss of a teen who drowned in Lake Lure in June and cheered the continued recovery of a mother and infant whose survival of a head-on collision last December was called miraculous.</p><p>In September, a local rape case became the topic of a two-part "Dr. Phil" show, and two educators were convicted in a pornography case that shocked a seasoned judge.</p><p>In December, the district attorney chose not to press charges against a local grandmother after her grandson died of heat stroke in the back of her van.</p><p>And, in October, a failed golf course developer was convicted of fraud, officers cracked a lucrative meth ring, and the government went on a hiatus that threatened folks in need of social services and halted tourists.</p><p>Here are the year's Top 10 stories as ranked by Times-News staff members:</p><h3>1. Suspect in triple homicide kills himself after manhunt.</h3>
<p>A tragic triple homicide and suicide rocked Henderson County in May when a troubled Ralph "Robert" Warren III opened fire on his estranged wife and her parents outside of their Piney Ridge Drive home.</p><p>Warren's wife, 30-year-old Carrie Tracy Warren, and her parents, Theresa Russell Tracy, 49, and Richard Allen Tracy, 51, fell in a firestorm of bullets. Warren fled the scene as his 9-year-old daughter, who had witnessed the shooting, called 911.</p><p>Warren's daughter pleaded with 911 dispatchers for help, giving them a description of her father. </p><p>The violence set off a nearly three-hour manhunt. Police closed roads and asked neighbors, who nervously peered out of windows, to stay indoors. A passing motorist spotted Warren walking with his semi-automatic rifle in a field off of Howard Gap Road. </p><p>With daylight dwindling, officers scoured the area, eventually pulling out their big artillery — a veritable tank — to approach Warren entrenched in a muddy field. Warren was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.</p><h3>2. Rape case continues, gets national attention.</h3>
<p>The case of four teens accused of raping a classmate at an alcohol-fueled party continues to grind slowly through the judicial system. More insight into what might have happened during that party last December was revealed in a two-part "Dr. Phil" show in September.</p><p>James "Matt" Bishop, 17, Joseph Vincent Curto, 18, Tyler Scott Garren, 17, and Justin Wesley Ponder, 18, who were all minors at the time of the party, were charged as adults with felony second-degree rape. The victim, who was 16 at the time, told investigators that three of the young men raped her while she was in and out of consciousness on a couch at Garren's home during a party on Dec. 8, 2012.</p><p>All four of the accused admitted to having sex with her, but they said it was consensual, according to search warrants. </p><p>Prosecutors with the office of State Attorney General Roy Cooper took over the case in August. The next administrative court date has not been set.</p><p>In an effort to stress her son's innocence, Dianne Bishop reached out to the "Dr. Phil" show. Matt Bishop, flanked by his parents, appeared in a two-part series that featured the case, Bishop's story and what the victim recalled of the night.</p><p>Bishop said that the girl initiated sex with him and then asked for more, so he recruited her next partner. The girl told "Dr. Phil" McGraw that she woke up to Bishop getting off of her, while the other guys stood around her in their underwear.</p><h3>3. Seven Falls developer Keith Vinson convicted of fraud; failed development is stabilized.</h3>
<p>Seven Falls developer Keith Vinson was convicted in October of 13 fraud and conspiracy charges related to the failed golf course community near Etowah. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled. Vinson faces 24 to 26 years based on sentencing guidelines, said Lead Prosecutor Don Gast. </p><p>Vinson, who was out of jail awaiting trial, was taken into custody after a bond hearing determined that he could be a flight risk. </p><p>Vinson still faces sentencing on a slew of state charges, including terminating his employees' health insurance and obtaining property by false pretenses, in Henderson County Jan. 13.</p><p>This year, Henderson County received the proceeds of a performance bond on the Seven Falls property, and $366,000 from those funds have been used to stabilize the site after years of erosion and sediment runoff.</p><h3>4. Tipton, Hamby sentenced; pornography case shocks judge.</h3>
<p>In a case of child pornography that shocked a seasoned judge, two former educators were sentenced to prison after their affair led to the sexual exploitation of a minor entrusted to their care. </p><p>Chadwick Hamby, 42, former principal of a charter school in Hendersonville, was sentenced to four years and three months in prison for receiving child pornography. Deborah Lee Tipton, 45, of Burt, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for transmitting and possessing child pornography.</p><p>Hamby was given a "substantial reduction" in his sentence for assisting law enforcement and testifying against Tipton, a former special education teacher who sent him two sexually explicit videos of an 11-year-old girl after the couple's seven-year affair had started to fizzle.</p><h3>5. "Miracles" continue for mother, baby injured in wreck.</h3>
<p>Heather Stepp and her infant son, Ely, were seriously injured last December when a man accused of driving under the influence hit their vehicle head-on. </p><p>A nearby resident rushed to the scene of the accident and realized that baby Ely was not breathing. She tried CPR. It didn't work. She said she prayed over him and he started to breathe. </p><p>The road to recovery for mother and child has been full of peaks and valleys as they have faced repeated medical battles and issues with insurance. Ely has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy.</p><p>On Oct. 30, the man who hit them, Paul Jeffrey Satterfield, 58, was convicted of driving while intoxicated and reckless driving. He was ordered to serve three years of probation.</p><h3>6. Grandmother of boy who died in hot car won't be charged.</h3>
<p>District Attorney Greg Newman said he would not seek an indictment against a Pisgah Forest woman whose 4-year-old grandson was found dead after being left in the back of her van in May. </p><p>Shirley Strickland called 911 after she found her grandson, Lance Duncan, unresponsive on May 15. Under mounting financial pressures, police say Strickland, who was helping to raise her four grandchildren and had suffered medical problems related to stress, returned to work that day after taking her grandchildren to school. </p><p>Lance had fallen asleep in his seat and was found several hours later when Strickland prepared to pick up her grandchildren from school. Investigators determined his cause of death to be heat stroke.</p><p>An investigation by Transylvania County Sheriff David Mahoney revealed that Strickland left her Pisgah Forest home at about 7:15 a.m. to take her four grandchildren to school and day care. She dropped one child off at Rosman High and another child at Rosman Elementary. Lance had fallen asleep in the back of the van, according to Newman. Strickland usually dropped him off at a day care, but she was distracted and forgot, traveling on to work at Smith Systems at 8 a.m.</p><h3>7. Tre Carter's body is recovered at Lake Summit.</h3>
<p>Tre Carter, a North Henderson High football star who was loved by many, drowned while swimming with friends between the train trestle and a dam at Lake Summit in June. </p><p>His body was pulled from the lake June 19, ending a three-day recovery mission plagued with challenges. Divers came from all over to aid in the search of the deep, freezing, blackened water that was riddled with debris. </p><p>Carter's funeral was held in front of a packed house at Mud Creek Baptist Church.</p><p>On June 29, a crowd of more than 50 supporters gathered in prayer at Jackson Park and walked in his memory and in the memory of four other swimmers who have lost their lives to drownings in recent years.</p><h3>8. Jermaine Glover found guilty in rare retrial.</h3>
<p>A Henderson County jury returned to the courtroom in May with a one-word verdict in a rare retrial that would relieve one family and rock another. "Guilty." </p><p>Jermaine Deprie Glover, 40, of Hendersonville was found guilty of second-degree murder in the 2009 slaying of his former girlfriend and roommate, 21-year-old Misty Lynn Carter. The jury deliberated six hours before returning with a unanimous decision in Glover's second trial, after the first panel of jurors found themselves "hopelessly deadlocked" in March.</p><p>Glover is appealing his conviction.</p><h3>9. Law enforcement cracks Henderson County meth ring.</h3>
<p>Law enforcement officers arrested 29 individuals indicted this year as a result of a large-scale methamphetamine distribution and conspiracy investigation. </p><p>The investigations began in June 2012 and to date have resulted in the seizure of more than $42,000 in cash, four weapons, two automobiles, 32 grams of cocaine, 2,603.3 grams (5.74 pounds) of methamphetamine and 84 grams of marijuana. The drugs seized have a street value in excess of $265,000, authorities said. </p><p>The arrests, along with true bills of indictment issued by a Henderson County Grand Jury on Sept. 30, targeted several high-level distributors of methamphetamine in the Henderson County area.</p><p>The next court date for suspects is Feb. 24 in Henderson County Superior Court.</p><h3>10. Federal government goes into sequester, followed by shutdown.</h3>
<p>It was supposed to be such a bad idea that Congressional leaders would avoid it at all costs. The sequester, pundits said, would never happen — and then it happened. </p><p>With a new budget year approaching, House Republicans, including 11th District Rep. Mark Meadows, demanded a delay or defunding of "Obamacare" before they would agree to continue government funding past Sept. 30. A 16-day partial government shutdown followed, and the effects hit home. </p><p>The shutdown shuttered national parks, put a roadblock up on the Blue Ridge Parkway during leaf-watching season, threatened to put 551 local children out of day care centers, jeopardized DSS programs and halted WIC food vouchers for a young mother needing medically prescribed formula for her baby. </p><p><i>Reach Weaver at emily.weaver@blueridgenow.com or 828-694-7867.</p>